Ivory Coast - a republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, one of the most prosperous and politically stable countries in Africa
general data, visa & passport, statistics
Ivory Coast in Internet:
POPULATION (1999) 15 800 000 people.
TERRITORY 322 463 square km.
GROSS NATIONAL INCOME (1994) $20,5 billion ($1 430 per capita).
CAPITAL: Yamoussoukro
TIME ZONE GMT
TELEPHONE SERVICES Country Code: 225 IDD: International Direct Dialling is available Outgoing Code: 00
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS Not present
LOCAL TOURIST INFORMATION Office Ivoirien du Tourisme et de l'Hotellerie, BP 8538, 2nd Floor, EECI Building, Place De La Republique, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire Tel: 206 528. Fax 225 624.
PASSPORT INFORMATION Valid passport require by all except nationals of:- Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo holding ID cards or a passport not expired for longer than 5 years. Return Ticket Required. Requirements may be subject to change at short notice. Consult embassy before departure.
VISA INFORMATION Required by all except nationals of: USA (for a period not exceeding 3 months), Finland and Sweden. Andorra, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Monaco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia for a period not exceeding 3 months. Tourist, Business available, Transit visas not usually required by travellers not leaving the airport.
PROHIBITED ITEMS Sporting guns may only be imported under licence. Limits are placed on the importation of certain personal affects. Contact the consulate prior to departure.
AIRPORT DEPARTURE TAX Departure tax domestic: CFA Fr 800 International: Ј5.90 . Transit passengers are exempt.
RESTRICTED ENTRY - No Notification
HEALTH MATTERS Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended. Malaria : The falciparum variety is present. Resistance to chloroquine has been reported. Yellow Fever: A vaccination certificate is required from all visitors over one year of age. Other Health Risks: Bilharzia, Meningitis, Rabies
FOOD AND DRINK Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption.
CURRENCY CFA Franc (CFAFr) = 100 centimes. Exchange available in airport, banks and hotels. Amex and MasterCard are widely accepted. Visa and Diners Club are only accepted on a limited basis. Travellers cheques are accepted in major hotels and some shops. French francs are the preferred currency. ATM availability: Unavailable.
TRAVELLERS CHEQUES EMERGENCY NUMBERS Thomas Cook: +44 1733 318950
BANKING HOURS 08.00 - 11.30 and 14.30 - 16.30 Monday to Friday.
COST OF LIVING Services and prices are generally expensive.
LANGUAGES French. Local dialects of Dioula and Baoule are also spoken.
WEATHER Dry season : Dec- Apr and Aug - Sept. Raining Season: May - July and Oct - Nov
RELIGIONS Mostly traditional beliefs. Also Muslim and Christian.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
ELECTRICITY 220 Volts Ac 50 Hz. Plugs = round two pin.
POST Airmail can take up to 2 weeks.
WOMEN IN SOCIETY Women can expect to enjoy a more multi-cultural society than in the rest of West Africa.
TRANSPORT ROAD: Road system of poorly maintained tarmac roads with frequent petrol stations in the North. Driving standards are poor. Hire cars are available in the main towns. TAXIS are available in the main cities but are generally unreliable. FLIGHTS : regular domestic flights operate between the main cities. RAIL: Fast, regular trains operate throughout the day between the main cities.
SPECIFIC INFORMATION HIGH RISK: There is extreme ethnic and linguistic variety which distinguishes it from many other African countries. Demonstrations and rallies should be avoided. Swimming off the coast is dangerous. Visitors should be vigilant at all times because of street crime. There have been incidences of banditry on rural roads.
about visas
ivory coast (cóte d'ivoire)
